If you are a Diego or Frida fan, there are dozens of venues Mexico City has to offer to get a glimpse into their once private spaces, as well as the artwork they left for posterity.
Famous muralist Diego Rivera and his no-less-famous painter wife Frida Kahlo lived in Mexico City. Diego’s artistic production is prolific. Most of his mural work is concentrated in downtown Mexico City (the National Palace (which is off limits for the time being), the San Ildefonso Museum – where the two artists met, the Ministry of Public Education, the Palace of Fine Arts, the Diego Rivera Mural Museum), but there are also his outdoor murals in the south of the city (at the National University and the Insurgentes Theater), well worth the trip. Diego’s easel paintings are scattered among several museums in Mexico City (mainly the Dolores Olmedo Museum which has temporarily closed its current doors but has announced it will be opening a new venue in Chapultepec Park in a few years), the Museum of Modern Art, the MUNAL, and the Kalus (depending on the current exhibit). Of course, there is his emblematic Studio-Home in San Angel. His atelier is small but offers a glimpse into his workspace – complete with brushes and palates as he left them – and his living quarters (the bedroom where he died), remain in view. If you are interested in viewing Diego’s murals in Cuernavaca or Chapingo, we can also arrange a day trip.
As for Frida, the quintessential spots to see her works are either the Dolores Olmedo Museum (please note as mentioned above that the works of this collection will be moved to their new site in 2024 or 2025) or the Blue House in Coyoacan where she grew up and rendezvoused with famous people of her time.
Mexico City is definitely “Diego-Frida Territory!” We can put together a variety of routes for you that include their homes, studios and/or artwork depending on what you are interested in seeing. There are LOTS of venues to choose from!